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Posted: 7/12/2006 10:44:31 PM EDT
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I never have put to much thought into a flashlight, can someone tell me what is out their? I dont want a weapon mounted light, a hand held. When I was active in boyscouts I had a AA mini mag, good choice? I aslo want to be able dim the light, i know their are filters but what is the difreance between red and blue? thanks Icon |
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In order to give you a solid recommendation, it would help to have more info on your intented use. With that said IMHO there are much better light out now than the older mini-mag lights. There are LED head conversions that can be added to your older mini-mag for about $10 if you want to stay on the cheap, avoid burned out bulbs and add some battery life. If you want something hand held, a Sure-fire woud be a great light but, they are intened for short period of use and will drain batteries fast. The trade off is that they produce tons of light compared to older designs and are relatively light weight. Sure-fire G2 can be had for $30 and product 60 lumens and run on two cr123's You might want to consider a small LED headlamp to be used in conjuction with a surefire G-2 or 6P. Headlamps(esp the Rayovac or Energizer AAA models) can be had for ~$15 and both have Red led's for light discipline. The Rayovac has 2 red LED's, 1 white LED, and one Mini mag light bulb for a lil more distance. The energizer models tend to have just white/red LED's. I am addicted to the hands free convenience of these headlamps for duties around the campsite or other close up uses. The combo with an inexpensive Sure-fire would give you some farther reach in a hand held package when necessary HTH Blitz |
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Red light does less damage to your night vision, so you can see a better after you turn out the light than a white light or equal power. Red can be seen roughly the same distance as white and helps nothing with light displine. Blue light helps a bit for following blood tails more than white or red lights. I use a blue lED light in my day pack for hunting, it can save some time tracking a wounded game, They sell a number of colored filters for military use for signaling or certian units using different colored lights for different purposes. If you intend your hand held light for social work you want it blinding. A mag light does not quite do that, any of the sure fire or other brand 6 volts do that well. For my for myself I like Sure Fires E2D Exective Defender model, it is designed to be used as a impact weapon and has some sharp teeth around the lenses. While far from the ideal weapon, the tool in hand may be the tool that you use and its a bit better than harsh language. That and I have been able to carry pass the TSA on to flights a number of times. It gives me both a light and a crude weapon if something happens. |
| Surefires are great lights I have one on my AR-15, but they EAT batteries if you use them as a utility light. I picked up a $12 Garrity LED light at whoremart that I use all the time. It's plenty bright (blueish-white light) , great battery life, tail cap switch, and hold 3 AA batteries in a "magazine" that you put into the light. |
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Reread your original message again. There are some social hand held lights that have dimmers or a smaller dim utility LED sold by sure fire and others. I like KISS for hand held lights for fighting with one switch and one power of light, blinding. Its crude but if I want it dim I just put a finger or two over the light. Sure fires even the LED's with longer run time are not the ideal for a utility light. |
Best option is to get a Surefire G2, which is about like having a handheld spotlight and good for lighting up a whole room and/or blinding an attacker, then a secondary utility light with an LED bulb. The little keychain LED lights are very small and put out plenty of light for most utility tasks. Next step up from there is probably the INOVA X1. A small AA powered LED light with a lens in the front that focuses the beam. You can't really use a colored fitler with an LED, but the LEDs are available in many different colors. You can easily have a 'white' INOVA for utility work and a keychain light in red for those rare times when you need the different color. |
| I've got 3 Surefires and love them. I have a G2 which is mounted on one of my ARs, the one mounted to my Para and a G2Z "NRA" combat light, that I keep next to my bed. They put out alot of light and are really durable. If you want a decent cheap flashlight go to Wal Mart or and Academy sporting goods and get one of the Brinkmans. It looks kinda like the Surefire but only costs $19. It uses the same 3 volt batteries and puts out a decent amount of light, alot more than a 4 D cell MagLite. I have one that I keep in my truck. Then stock up on the Surefire batteries. They sell them for around $21 a dozen. These same batteries sell for $3-$4 a piece if you buy them seperately in a store. The Surefire ones have a 10 year self life too. What sucks is not long ago they were around $12/dozen. |
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STP has a Pelican LED for $40 www.sierratradingpost.com/product.aspx?baseno=98580 . I’ve only had mine for a month, but thus far I’m very pleased. STP has periodically had this light on sale for even less, so you may want to wait for an even better price (I paid $32). I also own several Surefire lights. The E2E is very compact and bright and can be obtained with a LED head, but is a little pricey. The G2 is a little larger, but cheaper. None of these lights are weapon lights. MSTN, G&R, and Brightlights are all excellent sources for Surefire lights. |
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